[SPM] SPM EST Guides

[debbie]

The newest SPM subject.. English for Science and Tech. Don't be ticked off by how "wah!" they make it sound. It's simple. In fact 2 of my friends in commerce stream and social science stream are taking it as an additional subject. Basically, it needs NO studying. Trust me, I've never studied for EST and manage A1s all the time. To score, I guess it's all about transferring whtever they tell you about (NOT wht YOU know) into the answers. For e.g , once, our class was discussing the terms anxiety, stress, tension and nervous breakdowns. When asked to differentiate between stress, strain and tension, I ended up spieling on Physics based definitions which was off course , not wht was required.
Besides that, familiarize with all the medical, Physics-related and etc. jargon you can get your hands on cos I notice they like to "show off" to us students tht they are so clever. To make EST simple, pretend it's your usual english paper and knock off the jargons and there you go.. A1. = )
I hope we can share more about what we know concerning EST cos it's the first year, and we're in this thing together. = )
*smiles*..

[deaf-knee]

EST = extremely stupid thing

haha okay that was a lousy abbreviation but I don't get it. Why does the Kementerian feel a need to make students read articles in English and fill in mind maps and write an essay (with all the points given) and circle 25 or more odd "science related" questions to prove that they're serious in the use of English as the medium of instruction for science subjects?

Of course it might garner an extra A1 for most people.

But...like.... :roll:

[debbie]

Yeah, thts also wht I think. But not making a fuss..it's an extra A1. :D Besides, I spend EST period eating Smarties and doing +Math. Must admit tht my EST teacher is pretty good..but the whole syllabus..let's be realistic..as if we're primary school kids. *rolls eyes*
However, there are some who find it difficult mostly cos of the scientific jargon. I hope they get things in perspective b4 the big day. I'm here to learn and share, so count me in on any EST or any other subject -related queries.
Forever Physics~

[deaf-knee]

you crazy physics nut. :P

the boy sitting next to my friend slept for about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

haha.

During EST we gossip about teachers, read answers from the answer pages, and erm..occasionally force ourselves to read about JOJOBA and CRUDE OIL and what not.

There was one about MOSQUITOES. and BATS.

ahahahha.

[debbie]

I wish I could sleep but I'm not the kind who sleeps in class mostly cos I can't sleep on anything but my bed.= )
We did some reviews on Carnegie Mellon's researches such as the Sonic Flashlight. Most of the time, it's med related topics. Latest one was on porphyria, a kind of werewolf disease. Why can't they do proper stuff like applied Physics theories .... I hate medical related topics. *bristles*
Anyone done any Chem-related stuff in EST?
So, while they try to sedate us into all this, I'll just stay put eating Smarties and doing my add math. My mum is so against me doing tht but to me, it's better than wasting time listening to how nervous breakdowns occur

[tensaispira]

I wish I could sleep but I'm not the kind who sleeps in class mostly cos I can't sleep on anything but my bed.= )
We did some reviews on Carnegie Mellon's researches such as the Sonic Flashlight. Most of the time, it's med related topics. Latest one was on porphyria, a kind of werewolf disease. Why can't they do proper stuff like applied Physics theories .... I hate medical related topics. *bristles*
Anyone done any Chem-related stuff in EST?
So, while they try to sedate us into all this, I'll just stay put eating Smarties and doing my add math. My mum is so against me doing tht but to me, it's better than wasting time listening to how nervous breakdowns occur

Or, you know...you could always leave the class..
& just turn up, take the exam.
Smarties & add math eh?
Poor Tun.Farina...

[debbie]

You will not believe what came out for Paper 2 for trials! Well, as usual, ther was a balanced mixture.. paper1 Geology and if my memory serves me right, also biology..something about coral reefs.
But Paper 1.. goodness! So many scientific mistakes in setting the paper. Why make English teachers set the paper instead of Science teachers? They know almost naught about Science. In F4, my EST teacher said water was not included as a sub of the food class. My life-saver who helped me prove her wrong and get my rightful marks on the same day itself was a Form 1 kid who produced a copy of "Kelas-kelas Makanan : Air , pelawas.."etc. So is a 13 yr old smarter thn a Form 4 EST teacher?
Well, back to the point. Paper 1. Nuclear. *closes eyes* Horrible. The passage.. nuclear fusion, halfway thru, gave way to fission and i was like 'Wait a sec... tht's 2 different things.' Do they actually know wht they are talking about? Must admit , though, tht there were very challenging questions. So much for my "EST is a piece of cake".*laughs* I mean, i know i got it right but it took like 15 mins of solid mind boggling and hard thinking. It was difficult. That: i must praise those who set the paper... praise, rightly due.
Still have no idea how the charts questions will be asked. Y'know, the compare & contrast, etc. So far, still no exposure. *sigh* All the best, ppl.
~ how come only tensaispira, deaf-knee & i use this site? Nvm, we shall terrorize together. *cheeky smile*no one else doing EST?

[jacyn]

well.. scientific mistakes?..ooohh... the est paper in my school is okay as the teachers really make an effort to take it from magazines and reader's digest..

[oreo]

lol my teacher dont even know how to teach EST

[EricFu]

Well, I guess you need to know some tips for EST...

From my expereince in teaching Form 4 and Form 5 EST classes during my break, I noticed that not all information regarding science and technology are accurate. After all, it is EST - English for Science and Technology. It is English that matters (too bad). Therefore, when you are sitting for EST, the most important thing is that you must make sure you know nothing about science. Forget about you science classes. Read and understand what is given in the passage, and most importantly, answer questions according to the passage, NOT WHAT YOU KNOW. That's the tip that I could give after I personally taught EST in high school.

Frankly speaking, English teachers who teach EST should be given science courses. It is important to make sure teachers have some basic knowledge in science. I think I enjoyed teaching EST as I could integrate science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and etc.) in my classes. I wonder my students find it "torturing" or not... Haha :D

[nicodemus]

EST = total waste of time

After 2 years of study and taking the test, i conclude that EST is just really English in a different name. We don't integrate science into the subject.

What we learn? Grammar, writing reports......bla bla bla :P

Useless subject.....wonder why the government wants us to study it? :?:

[deaf-knee]

wait wait.

let's talk about SPM EST.

it was...hohoho.

*touch wood*

wait till results come out lah. then I tell you what I think. haha.

[nicodemus]

Ha ha...... never mind, 2 days more. :D

[debbie]

I think everyone'll score an A1 for EST.

[N-Guy]

Don t make such assumption

According to my teacher who is the chief marker ....since everyone is looking down at the paper....the 1A range for EST is around 87 %

[deaf-knee]

sheet?

tell me lah one day before results.

so comforting oi. :)

[debbie]

Don t make such assumption

According to my teacher who is the chief marker ....since everyone is looking down at the paper....the 1A range for EST is around 87 %

Which increases my chances and ( deaf-knee's also ) in getting 1A. If you know wht I mean. Tomorrow, we shall see. But I'm tellingyou beforehand, definitely A1 one. Haha ..

[N-Guy]

Fuyooo......

Hebat sekali!!

[sno]

I think everyone'll score an A1 for EST.


SOB :cry:
i must be really dumb......i think my EST got an A2........we'll see in the morning......

[debbie]

Ai .. every one got A1 for EST la. Just as I predicted.
At least, all my friends did.

[deaf-knee]

wah I've got three friends who missed the straight A1s mark just coz of EST man!!

and another who got 9As, and a B4 for EST.

Like, WTH?

thank god I got A1 ohohoho.

[leng_cyl]

erm... I get A1 for my EST too..
but i wondering a case...

my Indian classmate who score A1 for her 1119 only get 3B for her EST... is it possible? @<hidden>@<hidden>"

however, I think exam result depends on luck too...

[byzhanii_bogn]

no shite... as far as i'm conserned, 3 missed to be amongst to top 662 because of a 2 in EST in my school *including me SHITTY!!!!*

no use fussing about it now though LOL at least we'll still get 500 bucks! LOL




seriously, EST is not an easy subject... don't be fooled by the English... English it is, but yea, stupid ones... what's the point? do u actually use all that u learnt in class? what the heck does parts of an elevator to do with you if you don't pursue a career in that field????

SHITTY!!!!


and guess what, there's one that scored 1 for GCSE 1119 English but a 2 for EST too *indicating someone already lar* is that even POSSIBLE??? yea, it is... I am a living proof. no kidding, i'm still alive!

[deaf-knee]

eee just coz u din get A1 dun say it's a stupid subject la. :P it's a good subject. help me get 10a1s hoho. :D

[N-Guy]

damn it man

11 1As and a shitty 2A for extremely easy thing (EST)

Now thats what i call BO luck !!!

[byzhanii_bogn]

eeeyoooo deaf-knee, people here so kek tiok already lar, dun need to be lidat lar...

*all the manglish plopping out haha*

[deaf-knee]

ok paiseh leh hohoho

erm, ok lah.

I like manglish.

manglish is my life.

petertok chau bubut :P

[byzhanii_bogn]

wonder if Manglish would actually replace EST... then i'm so sure i won't sob over a 2 right now. lol

[sno]

petertok chau bubut :P

ahem KST

[byzhanii_bogn]

KST???

[sno]

KST???

it's a secret sorority :wink:

[N-Guy]

i had enough of Da Vinci's code and Angels and Demons.....

Bloody EST ruined everything..........malaysian goverment is very very intelligent ...they used EST as a tool to reduce the number of straight 1A students

[lkh1986]

.they used EST as a tool to reduce the number of straight 1A students

Not that I am critisizing anyone or blaming anyone, but only 11 people in my school get 1 for it (that's the 11 people who get straight A1's).

If there is no EST, the straight A1's students would be doubled...

[jeremy3232]

my teacher marked the paper last year and mentioned that many students failed their report writing and managed to get less than 15 out of 30!

so, don't take that sub easily!

[huimay]

i am still quite shock to see the result of est too
i mean like it was so unbelieveable
really taught us all a lesson.. ~

[debbie]

And the lesson is : Eat smarties at the back of class while doing Add Maths and listening to Jason Mraz. That will guarantee you an A1. Listen and pay attention while EST teacher is going on and on in front .. and chances of getting an A1 decreases . <--- tried and tested formula by the students of 5S.

Ok, I'm crapping but it's true. But dont believe me. I'm just rather upset at the moment. >_< But tht's wht I did, tht's wht we all did and tht landed us an A1 whereas those nerds who listened and put in effort got at best a B3.

[N-Guy]

debbie....now you condemning semua nerd


i bet you ll get hooked up with a nerd

wait and see laar

[vseehua]

let this be a lesson to all..never take it easy on anything, even though it looks very easy to all..always strive for excellence and you'll be blessed with the best of all:)

[byzhanii_bogn]

i never did thought it as an easy subject. i did listen to what my teacher said. and paid attention. though i do have a thought that it's just another english subject...

but is there a different way of writting EST report? i mean the sentence structure and all...

[leng_cyl]

I think it's not much different to write the EST report with the normal english report..

about the format, if not mistaken it's about the same.
As for the sentence structure of course in the formal way.
If one just writes what the point given there only, it's sure not enough to get high mark.

I always compare the statement given (e.g: compare the three method given to solve a problem stated, give some examples, elaborate and give reason; and choose the most suitable one).

As what my teacher advise us, we as the consultant of xxx company (or laboratory n etc...) write the report is to decide and explain why we choose to do so, therefore, we have to write in the firm way.

for the opening, you have to write (for example): after doing a research about... blah blah blah....I decided to choose/the most suitable method is... because....
but you can't write the report using 'uncertain way's word' like 'maybe'

for the content, you must give the reason we choose that method
using the point given plus own point, of course we have to compare and elaborate by giving some examples to explain

at the end, you have to stress again the choice and reasons

however, this is what I did in the past for my EST report, just a reference for you

[HappyCat]

all these things r useless 2 me... :cry:
i get B3 4 it... 8O

oh God...y we always like white mouse in the experiment...

[leng_cyl]

oh God...y we always like white mouse in the experiment...

yeah... we this batch always being the white mouse
1. first year having PTS (if not mistaken)
2. first year literature started in secondary school for form 1, so we were the first facing literature exam in PMR
3. first year having EST
4. always be the first year to sit the new format exam

what else huh? hmm....

[PINKPIGGY]

i takes est last year n it is simple, not so hard to score!
most of us who takes est score A in SPM.
We did not burn the midnite oil b4 the exam.
paper 1 is just writing a simple report on yr own view(scientificly) n some interpreting of data.
paper 2 has multiple choices Q(just like eng paper)

its not something like history which we need 2 memorise!

i think it is a good preparation 4 form6! N more A1 in yr spm slip! :roll:

[HappyCat]

yeah... we this batch always being the white mouse
1. first year having PTS (if not mistaken)
2. first year literature started in secondary school for form 1, so we were the first facing literature exam in PMR
3. first year having EST
4. always be the first year to sit the new format exam

what else huh? hmm....

some more...most subjects' format change and we are the first batch to test on BC, BM, BI, PM, SEJ, PA...
we'r very pitiful...

[leng_cyl]

forgot about pendidikan moral too >.<''

from form1 - form 3, we 'hafal' the definition for all nilai
then (forgot when already) the nilai and definition changed all... =.=

if not mistaken, it's when form 4, we'd to start all over again to hafal all the nilai and definitions and accustomed to the new format.

for the old batch students, they could hafal the same from form 1 to form 5, but when came to us (our year), the nilai and definition we hafal for form 1- form3 became useless.

[leng_cyl]

forgot about pendidikan moral too >.<''

from form1 - form 3, we 'hafal' the definition for all nilai
then (forgot when already) the nilai and definition changed all... =.=

if not mistaken, it's when form 4, we'd to start all over again to hafal all the nilai and definitions and accustomed to the new format.

for the old batch students, they could hafal the same from form 1 to form 5, but when came to us (our year), the nilai and definition we hafal for form 1- form3 became useless.

(haha, looks like we are out of topic already)
aiya, sorry for double post

[HappyCat]

i agree with you, leng_cyl.
we were suffered to memorise those 80+ nilai then it change to 36 nilai when we up to form 4....
some more, we have to do those projects, i think it is really silly that we had to take photo and write the reports which full of nilai-nilai... :evil:

[debbie]

debbie....now you condemning semua nerd


i bet you ll get hooked up with a nerd

wait and see laar

Haha. No way. I'm a nerd myself .. and unorthodox one, though. I didnt mean to condemn anyone. Sorry if you terasa la, N-Guy. You're a nerd right? lollz. If you arent, I pray to God tht you end up with one since you took it on yourself to defend the nerd community.

EST is not a nerd subject nor a subject for those who think out of the box. It's just an extra cookie in your lunch-box after you're full, fit to burst.

[vseehua]

haha...personally, i think the moral education was implemented the wrong way from the start...we should have never asked to memorize things...haha...we'll just memorize it and then forget abt it after the exams:p

[flyinghigh]

haha...personally, i think the moral education was implemented the wrong way from the start...we should have never asked to memorize things...haha...we'll just memorize it and then forget abt it after the exams:p


moral education! i hate this sub..........I HATE MORAL EDUCATION........ because of pen.moral, i didn't get straight A1s... woooowooooo... N because of pen. moral, i cant apply 4 jpa scholarships though i got 10A1s (including gce A1).... :cry:
i've got b3 in moral.... until now i cant fathom y..... :?

i've also taken est in my spm and i got A1s. est is not that hard, right?

i like est coz i dont need spend much time on it. there's nothing we can do to prepare b4 the exam! i remember tht i just browsed through the exercise book 2 hour b4 the exam! wht should we revise as the essay question is just another ordinary essay question! and for the objetive paper n the text completion (if i m not mistaken :) ) i just needed to read the text given carefully n then answer the questions.
tht's just as easy as ABC...
tht's wht i think about est.

[byzhanii_bogn]

:cry: but, but i got an A2 for my est....

[HappyCat]

tht's just as easy as ABC...
tht's wht i think about est.
but i think it is hard.
i got B3 for est. :cry:

[friendly]

For what I think, EST is not hard but I guess it's a new subject... so some teachers may teach the right way to answer the questions and some may not... and that is way some can score A1 and some may not... that's just an opinion kay... :roll: :wink:

[yen_05]

I think EST is not the language that matters. There is no point using flowerish english and bombastic words for the essay part. What is important here is the way you elaborate the points and you hv to really make it clear in the elaboration . Besides, no bitting around the bush in the essay part. Just go straight to the point and provide simple explanation to the points given. Plus...remember to mention your choice of solution/method/or whatever the question has requested(do not be unclear of the choice that u hv selected). And if i not mistaken, the essay part will require student to write a report. In that report, use formal language and remember to follow the format of the report. It's my opinion only and what i feel is right...feel free to comment... :)

[petertok]

Just joined this SIG

For EST , our teacher carried out many assignments for us to do which i think was quite fun... For example , writing articles on herbs , learning jargons in different fields , and learning how to conduct an actual scientific experiment from the beginning to writing a full-length report.

We had a lot of free periods too when the teacher just came in , assign a few pages on the exercise books for homework and let us do anything we want for the rest of the EST period.

Abt scoring in this paper , i agree with yen_05 that seriously , dont beat around the bush. Provide accurate answers with elaborations supported by facts or the points given. Flowery language , idioms , wonderful sentence structure etc wont help if you dont get the points right.

[Sora_Hikari]

erm.. yeah. I agree with yen_05 and petertok.. There's no need flowerish and bombastic words in EST's report writing. All we need is the explaination on why we chose that particular 'thing'. (eg. site, program and so on..)

My EST teacher was quite surprised with our results.. A girl, who is always get A1 in English 1119 and EST in Form 4 and Form 5 only got B3 for EST. In fact, in my school, there were only 2 students who got A1 for EST.. My other friends who always and NEVER got lower than A2 only got B3 0r B4 for EST in SPM.. they were quite disappointed.. huh..

I don't think EST is a hard subject. All we need is :
1. the skill to find answers in the text
2. good explainations and reasons when writing the report

erm.. this is just my opinion..;)

[lolilo]

1. use very simple English, so that marks wont be deduced due to grammar mistakes.

2. add another point for the essay, and the rest just combine those words to form sentences like what you did in standard 6 English paper :D

3. After you finished and checked once or twice already, go sleep or daydream, whichever.Cos if you continue checking, you will make the essay longer and longer, sbb gatal tangan....then you are doomed.

( i think it's one of the reason why many ppl flunk EST this year)

[petertok]

1. use very simple English, so that marks wont be deduced due to grammar mistakes.

2. add another point for the essay, and the rest just combine those words to form sentences like what you did in standard 6 English paper :D

3. After you finished and checked once or twice already, go sleep or daydream, whichever.Cos if you continue checking, you will make the essay longer and longer, sbb gatal tangan....then you are doomed.

( i think it's one of the reason why many ppl flunk EST this year)

Agree with lilo.. keep it simple with all the points in it.

One girl in my school , notorious for her long-windling reports and she writes as many words as she can with an above average level of English , got herself an A2 and missed being in the top 662.

[lowch1]

I hear from my EST teacher that the part 3 essay emphasises more on using and understanding those scientific method of writing (like using passive voice and some scientific jargon). The grammar is not taken seriously as this is english a minor part but SCIENCE AND TECH the main part.

[meselsohnstahl]

1. use very simple English, so that marks wont be deduced due to grammar mistakes.

2. add another point for the essay, and the rest just combine those words to form sentences like what you did in standard 6 English paper :D

3. After you finished and checked once or twice already, go sleep or daydream, whichever.Cos if you continue checking, you will make the essay longer and longer, sbb gatal tangan....then you are doomed.

( i think it's one of the reason why many ppl flunk EST this year)

yeah choky..and one of the 'ppl' is me....
EST is important..dont neglect it..having good english doesnt guarantee u an a1...

[deaf-knee]

I think you guys shouldn't stress yourselves about est.

hentam saja.

[day-dreamer]

Ah... EST

Say it's easy, it's not that easy; say it's difficult, it doesn't look that difficult...

Based on the SPM format, the objective questions aren't too bad. You can find most of the answer from that little paragraph provided. Oh, you should see the paper my EST teacher set for my school's mid-year exams... hers was really science! "Hey! I was a science graduate OK?" remains her favourite sentence in class.

I'm a bit confused on the essay part though. Any pointers? What reasons and comparisons? Do we have to write reasons for the other 2 things (i.e. location, site, factory...) not chosen?

[leng_cyl]

I'm a bit confused on the essay part though. Any pointers? What reasons and comparisons? Do we have to write reasons for the other 2 things (i.e. location, site, factory...) not chosen?

erm.. refer to the post before? I did mention something about it ^^ just my opinion ~ I did what I wrote in the post

[day-dreamer]

thanks!! :D

[y_benjie]

I was told the marks are allocated as below :

Format - 2
Choice - 1
Elaboration - 5
Content - 5
Comparison - 5
Solution - 2
Language - 10

Recom-ers who are sitting SPM this year, what's your teacher's advice?

[day-dreamer]

After the SPM trials, I was told that the question is based on impression marking, but what you've written will be taken into consideration, of course.

i just got back my est trial exam papers.first thing my teacher said was write super long and the examiner will just search for the contents without looking into your language and others. so if u have written everything in it, u should achieved full marks.she just attended an est workshop along with other teachers from other states.

[day-dreamer]

If I'm not mistaken, the examiner does look into your language, but the marks allocated is not too much.

i just got back my est trial exam papers.first thing my teacher said was write super long and the examiner will just search for the contents without looking into your language and others. so if u have written everything in it, u should achieved full marks.she just attended an est workshop along with other teachers from other states.

u mean if we write all the points given, it's possible for us to get 30/30?

[y_benjie]

Anyway, do you think adding our own additional facts will help?

In my school, we were asked to make comparisons with the points given, but not to add our own relevant facts.

Was that so?

[amshah]

Don t make such assumption

According to my teacher who is the chief marker ....since everyone is looking down at the paper....the 1A range for EST is around 87 %

1A is what???87%???
u gotta be joking rite??

[eve88]

according to the est teacher in our school...

what happens is..

the essay question given has 2/3 choices and each choice has a few short points. sort of

Choice 1 , point 1, 2, 3
Choice 2, point 4,5,6
Choice 3, point 7,8,9

So you choose the most sensible answer. then u mention each point and elaborate on it.

sample answer.
i choose choice one because (point 1) causes (elaboration on point 1 -- costs drop, profit high wadever). It also brings (point 2) meaning that (elaboration on point 2). Plus, (point 3 and elaboration)

choice 2 is not so good because (point 5) makes it worse compared to choice 1 because (elaboration on point 5) ...

continue for all the points, then explain why choice 3 is bad.


you have to mention and elaborate on all the points to ensure you have high content marks.

however, extra points (not in the question) are also accepted. also, keep you language straightfoward and to the point.


not to clear about the word limit tho, anyone care to explain?

----my first post----

[Seiryu]

has anyone realised that spm 2005's est essay format changed? no more comparison.. only explanation. what should the correct format be?

[pinkpau]

first thing my teacher said was write super long ... *snip* so if u have written everything in it, u should achieved full marks. she just attended an est workshop along with other teachers from other states.

hey, for real? cos i was told by many parties to just keep the EST essays short and concise. arghghghgh.

[crapzzz]

My teacher asked us to avoid excessive and lenghty elaboration and be clear and straight forward. Do not use flowery language and include all the points given. Try to be grammatical erorrs free with correct format. Likewise wad pinkpau has said, be short and concise.

[siew]

Tee hee. During my year in 2004 when it was first introduced, I just had fun throughout my EST classes since my teacher is not a science graduate. So most of the time we will spend time arguing with her over science facts.

Anyway, when the format was finalised, we only had like a few months to get used to the questions asked in the subjective paper - esp the essay questions.

So during spm, what I did was read through all the answer scripts given in the work book published (I was relying on the Sasbadi workbooks that year) and tried to get use to their style of argumentative writing. Then , list down words or phrases that can be used in my essays - words for comparative uses, introducing an argument, to disagree.. etc - so that I can clearly express my thoughts in writing to the examiner. Then try hard to think smart and critically during the exams. I got A1 that year. :)

[meselsohnstahl]

est?? i enjoyed my classes.. we had a blast.. our est teacher was a grad from scotland and she's really cool.. she's only 9 yrs older than us and i looked up to her as a sister..

i loved my classes and always just wrote what i thought was write.. never studied, just made sure that my sentences made sense...bad idea tho.. i got an A2 for my est.. sat for spm in 2004..

[LUBYDAKSEPINTAR]

the perception that est was easy enough make a lot of student take it easy.....(4 some student)
Besides the syllibus factor.........

Now we can see that many student does't get straight As because of est ( Including me)
eventhough they got A1 in their English paper

hahaha :lol:
I feel that I just want 2 erase the subject from my slip

hehehehe.................

[syahrul]

EST? i just failed it in my january test hahah.. actually what the subject is all about?? is it english or what? there are some question asking about strange disease that i never heard- why that matapelajaran diwajibkan untuk diambil huh?? :roll:

[wolfbane]

Although I got an A1 in my EST (SPM 2005) I know of many who missed and A1 for it and instead got and A2. In fact, some of them we're dissapointed with their EST because it was the only paper which they missed an A1. My friend, who usually scores 90+ in EST got an A2 for his SPM.

My seniors up to my year were all encouraged to take EST because they said it was a 'free' A1 and it was easy to score. Turns out that during these past years many missed A1s for their EST. This year, the Form 5s are actually given a choice (previously we all sat for it by default). I think they are realising that EST isn't as easy as they thought it would have been.

I'm not saying that everyone should drop EST. All I'm saying is that don't just take it because people say it's easy and all. I think it's still a great subject, but the problem is that we don't know a sure-fire way of doing it. Different teachers I've asked for advice from say things differently, and they're not exactly sure how it's marked. But most of them do say that we should not write based on what we know, but based on what is given, even if it contradicts what we know to be true. It's a lot of information transfer, where we just read, understand, and vomit it out in a tabulated of chart form. In other words, its like filling out a form.

I wish all those sitting for EST goodluck, and I hope that it won't be the subject that would ruin your string of As.

[f0reva]

EST = EXTREMELY STUPID THING.

i really agree with that. its not as easy as it seems... dun over confidents guyz.. i n few of my friends.. got b3 n b4 for that stewpit subject.. tht is the subject tht KILL us... nobody knows how is the marking scheme.. no body knows..its really a risk to take it.. and i really don't know why the form 4 students [2006] still need to take that stupid subject.. if you have a choice.. don't take it unless you know how is the marking scheme.. i and my friends.. got mostly all A1s in other subjects..include gce-o level.. but unfortunately .. est.. B3 B4 .. WHAT DA HELL IS HAPPENING??!!!

[lXl]

i do have to admit that if was a bit tricky for the SPM 2005 paper, esp the objective part. i would like to advice to those who are taking ESt this year to be extra careful in the objective part (read every word - IT IS REALLY THAT TRICKY, wait till u see the answers) and for the essay, just dun exagerrate(ie bombastic words) but also try to include a few scientific terms in it.

[bluegenie]

Damn... EST is really tricky. A person could get A1 for it during mid-year exams, and then get B3 for it during the end-of-year exams.

At least, that's what happened to me, anyhow.

The big question is, how do you study for a subject like EST? What goes into the paper is not really tetap, is it? The objective questions could be about anything, and I usually find the questions to have two possible answers. So, as a result, I usually just main teka which is the best answer after rereading the question a trillion times...

My EST teacher is no help whatsoever. Let's just say she clearly has no idea what she is supposed to be teaching.... her favourite words during an EST lesson is "am I talking to the waaaaall?", by which she is answered with a resounding "YES!"

[Innocent]

Here are some of the links which I think is very useful for SPM candidates taking English for Science and Technology: Introduction to EST (http://goodessays.blogspot.com/2005/12/english-for-science-and-technology-est.html), EST Tips (http://goodessays.blogspot.com/2005/11/spm-est.html), SPM EST (http://malaysian-students.blogspot.com/2006/04/spm-est-easy-simple-test-part-1-of-2.html) and How to Score 1A in EST (http://malaysian-students.blogspot.com/2006/04/spm-est-how-to-score-est-part-2-of-2.html).

[jeremy3232]

It was a pleasant surprise for last year's EST as the essay that came out in the paper wasn't like what we have did at school... It turned out to be writing an article on acid rain... so, i just wrote whatever related to acid rain which i have learnt in chemistry (ya... have to translate all the scientific terms eg. sulphuric acid, corrosion, sulphurous acid, Touch Process etc...) I was so afraid that i have wrote the wrong things as there are no guides given in the paper...

But luckily i managed to get an A1 for this stuuupidd subject!! :lol: So i guess the usage of scientific terms is quite necessary as it is a ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY paper! :wink:

[katherine]

:? it really confusing lah...actually it is an easy paper.....how come last year a lot opf ppl lost their A1 ? what is the bottom line to get an A1 in EST ?

[khiahsu]

If I'm not mistaken, there is going to be an EST textbook from next year onwards.

[sunshine88]

an EST textbook...Are u sure?cuz,the facts are unlimited,n unlike bio and phy. chem...EST has no proper syllabus...General tips for u guys..Mainly,there is this objective and subjective(essay) questions.I dun find it difficult though.I guess most people get terkandas in the essay part,due to lack of application skills they learnt from other subjects...Students are so get used with memorising facts and writing them back black and white,to the extent when they bumped into a more practical question,they get blank.Correct command of english is a plus point in order to argue well.Read important sources...for me the cheapest and the most frequent is the newspaper.Get yourself exposed to the world beyond .
As for the objective part,students might be baffled with the answer options.First reason might be lack of understanding...or second confused over the answer which means almost the same.Again always refer to the passage above the question.Practice a lot.
during my SPM years i didn't even own even one practice book for EST.I just take down notes from the teacher about the format of essays might be asked in exams and some information transfer exercises.Seriously,there were no even last minute revision for me,even for my SPM...but i still manage myself for an A1.

[henry_yew]

I sat for the same paper last year, and thankfully, I got an A1 for it. Like some of you, I didn't even bother to prepare for it!

To me, EST is just another English paper that I had to sit. You just read the passage, understand it, and answer the questions according to the passage. Just mere comprehension is needed.

But what is different here in EST is its stereotype style of marking. Capitalisation of letters matter! "Bone" and "bone" are two different answers!

My experience was that in Form 4, I could score above 90 for EST, but in Form 5, when the marking scheme was revealed, hardly anyone scored 70 during the mid-term examinations. We were all surprised! We compared answers and found that all of us gave the correct ones, but some got them ticked right and others were crossed! We compared our answers to our teachers' and found that they were all similar! So what was the thing that the teacher had the cheek to give us a cross?

"Those who capitalise the first letter of the word are right, those who do not are wrong," was the answer. We were all like, "WHAT? What type of stupid explanation is that?" But all the teacher could say was that that was the marking scheme that the Malaysian Examination Syndicate provided them when marking the EST papers for 2004 (a lot of my seniors did badly for EST; they were completely oblivious to the marking scheme).

Therefore, my teacher gave us this tip: when you're required to transfer information into a graphic organiser, watch the answers that were already provided. If they capitalise the first letter of the word, do the same for your answers. Otherwise, don't. And if you were given questions to answer based on a passage, lift the information word for word and put them in the answers section; it's more of a Copy and Paste job.

I did exactly that during SPM 2005, and got an A1. Many of them, supposedly, did the same thing and got a B3. Until now, the marking scheme for EST is still fuzzy.

I wonder how many more SPM results does EST has to spoil? Many who could have scored Straight A's or Straight A1's failed to do so just because of that "Extremely Stupid Thing".

[jayden]

I've never prepared for my EST before either. But in the days leading up to the SPM last year, I heard lots of rumors (still can't clarify whether these stuff is true) about how the paper is marked. In information transfer, everything that you transfer has to be exactly like the passage. Don't try to change any word in past tense or another word with the same meaning. I've never heard of the capitalization of first letters thing like henry said though. And in writing essays, the thing that got me most worried was the news that they will only give you marks if the 'isi' is in the marking scheme. If it's not but it's correct, they would not give us the marks. Needless to say, all of us wrote as much as we could think of and got that A1 after all. So, to all juniors, just do it. And do it well :)

[zltan]

I've never prepared for my EST before either. But in the days leading up to the SPM last year, I heard lots of rumors (still can't clarify whether these stuff is true) about how the paper is marked. In information transfer, everything that you transfer has to be exactly like the passage. Don't try to change any word in past tense or another word with the same meaning. I've never heard of the capitalization of first letters thing like henry said though. And in writing essays, the thing that got me most worried was the news that they will only give you marks if the 'isi' is in the marking scheme. If it's not but it's correct, they would not give us the marks. Needless to say, all of us wrote as much as we could think of and got that A1 after all. So, to all juniors, just do it. And do it well :)

I can't believe why the made EST like that. Isn't is goodo to paraphrase?????? Well, I guess they are teaching us to be parrots. :twisted:

[Desperado_1990]

Not that i have sat for it before in spm....end of this year lah...
But i did sum research on the web...and so on...

The scheme is rather strict...the graphic stuff....you have to be particular with your capital letters and small letters...Then you must be concise....Cannot copy the whole sentence bulat bulat...and you can use your own words provided they are accurate (play safe)
And be careful with your grammar....with s or no s...all the crap lar...

The essay...must put in extra relevant information....Crap all the thing you have studied in physics bio and chemistry...Use SCIENTIFIC terms.....Make sure you sentence is concise....Formal tone...Avoid verbose...Just like how our science reference books been written..

Usually is comparison....If chose A, reason why...crap about B...
Better at least one elaboration for each point...more better larr...
And take note with geographical terms....they might ask the stuff ike choosing a factory sites....
ANd of course get to know all the freaking naturall cycles like the past year acid rain.......read up the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle....So on lar...
No word limit.....Bcareful

[crosshair]

Yesterday i dreamt i got all A1's, pretty happy then but at the bottom of the list there it was; EST B.
It was The Nightmare Bfore Results. :twisted:

[stef1004]

Erm...i m juz a new gal here...
n i hav read all u all's comment...
some r funny n i think most of it are useful for me...
I'm having my SPM this year n i hav took EST as my extra subject...
n my english standard not tat gd,so if u guys found any grammatically problem,plz tell me...i ll try my best to make my english better...
btw,thx to u guys comment though tats not really for me... :wink:

[lyeen]

hihi everyone!!
i m facing spm tis year n i found it very hard for me2 gt A1 for EST n BC....anyone can help me??

juz share ur technic or experince on answering n scoring the paper...maybe u can oso share wat ur teacher tell u 2 score the paper...bcs my skul dun hav any marker or experinced teacher... :cry:

oh ya!!anyone can teach me how 2 gt a1 for GCE?? any guidelines??

i hope tat gt someone tat wiling 2 share ur essay ( either bi , est or bc) wif me...i realy wan2 take a look at high quality essay...
i m very sure tat u all r gud writer ...:lol:

if gt anyone tat r willing 2 share ur essay wif me, pls pm me wif ur essay..thanks oo!!

GOD BLESS U....

i edited the title to focus this thread on SPM EST Guides. Copied this thread and moved to SPM Chinese.

Hope this this thread focus on EST. thanks.

Xon

[chiachean]

I m last year SPM student, i scored BC a2, and EST a1, hope this can help:

bC--do well in the part that u can prepare, like 名句精华， 句子的类型....and the grammar part...

yet, the essay, read the question carefully before answering.
I have been out of point (文不切题)for many times and scored very low mark.. :oops:

est--do well in your objective part. in the fill in the information part, take the KEYWORD only, not taking the whole sentence.....

the essay-->just including all the points given, i mean ALL!!
then, elaborate a bit on each point given. insert some scientific terms and facts, if u can think some. don't write if u r not sure..

[-cyanide0827-]

est is very simple wat...here's my advice

you should read science related articles/essays...the best is Reader's Digest, make sure you use scientific terms in your essay to get more marks and always elaborate on ALL the points given.

for the objective part, try not to get more than 5 wrongs because it is very,very simple.the answer will always be hidden somewhere in the text.

for the information transfer, you should see the space provided first.if there is little space provided, your answer must be short. spelling must also be accurate.

i hope it will help you in your exam..good luck!! :wink:

[lyeen]

thanks u all!!

EST sometimes the question vry tricky....i muz be vry careful..haha :lol:

some questions from me, anyone can help me??

1. In est information transfer, is it tat the answer cannot contain the word ' and' or 'or'??
Eg: enough sleep and rest
The ans must separate into
1. Enough sleep
2. Rest
Is it true??

2. if the ans is the smae type, oso need 2 separate??
Eg: Deficiency of vitamin E and K
should the ans is above one or oso nid2 separate into
1. Defiency of vitamin E
2. Defiency of vitamin K

3. Is it the skema jawapan has many choice?
Like the question nid 2 causes, is the skema will have 2 ans only or more than it??


Thanks ...

[chiachean]

1. In est information transfer, is it tat the answer cannot contain the word ' and' or 'or'??
Eg: enough sleep and rest
The ans must separate into
1. Enough sleep
2. Rest
Is it true??

2. if the ans is the smae type, oso need 2 separate??
Eg: Deficiency of vitamin E and K
should the ans is above one or oso nid2 separate into
1. Defiency of vitamin E
2. Defiency of vitamin K

yup, it is true. I lost mark when i write 2 answers in 1 blank.

REMEMBER! 1 blank only for 1 answer



3. Is it the skema jawapan has many choice?
Like the question nid 2 causes, is the skema will have 2 ans only or more than it??

usually more than 2, depends on your passage


hope it helps

[lyeen]

so , always separate the ' and " ??

another question from me ( sory, 2 many question) :lol:
cannot repeat the word of the upper box?
Eg: The upper box is the word " Type of lens ",
then the ans muz be " converging'? If i write " Converging len", the ans is wrong?

If the question is " Type of Vitamin',
the ans should be "Vitamin C" or " c" only?
( quite strange when write C only...) :roll:

[Xon]

Sorry to say,i am also blur blur,cause the marking skeme is rather disturbing...

my advice is that on the essay part,MUST WRITE ALL POINTS(words by words)...
I have once got B4 in school whereby all of my classmate got A2/A1 .

the reason is i do not USE the WORDS in the question.
i replace it with my own words,then the teacher say i am wrong.

Just my 2 cents here.



ARGH,hope somebody will share here..

i am SPM candidates 2007 too.
GOD BLESS U~!

[yanagii]

EST is easy, seriously.

To succeed in EST,

First, listen to your teacher.

Second, stop writing stories in English test and learn to write factual essays.

Third, practise more for information transfer.

I only got an A2 for Chinese, but here are some advice.

First, never try narrative essays if you are not really good in Chinese.

Second, read Chinese newspaper! (It may sound ridiculous but you will need these little extra knowledge that could make your piece of essay more outstanding compared to other candidates)

Third, understand all the proverbs (It is a waste of time to memorise 200 proverbs, all you need to do is understand them.)

Forth, confidence. (You really need confidence for Chinese paper, that psychological perception might give you an edge in answering Chinese paper.)

[chiachean]

For both EST and Chinese, read widely for current issues in newspapers. Jot down the vocab or scientific terms you found.. Before exam, revise those vocabs. It works!!!

[Leen]

For the composition component of EST, here's my advice.

When you write an article, say about Acid rain, don't just mention how the acidity of the rain will erode the buildings and so on.

Give the chemical equation to prove your point. I've long abandoned chemistry and sciences so I can't produce an example now. XD But you get the point, right?

They want to see you backing up your points with solid scientific evidences, not just your own blabbering. Hope that helps.

[chiachean]

Do use a lot of technical and scientific words. Use sequence connectors as well.

[AnnDeBlurry]

These are the advices from my est teacher =
(a) for info transfer , be careful of what the question want .
e.g. What is the vector of cholera ?
>>> for this question , since it asks for ONLY 1 vector , just state 1 vector
although there might be a few mentioned in the paragraph

(b) start your answer with SMALL letter instead of block letter if your answer is not
proper noun (info transfer)

(c) Unlike english essay , you don't have to use bombastic or flowery words in your est
essay . Write all the points you can think of directly without any introduction with
some appropriate elaborations . Besides , important points in essays is the
paramount factor that affects the mark of your essay , grammar doesn't matter
much .

(d) Write in all the points given in your essay .

(e) Read more and collect information on various topics as the raw materials of your
est essays .

(f) The objective questions are teasers . They are tricky because the words used in the
options are more or less carrying the same meaning . So , must think wisely and read
thoroughly before you confirm your answer . The questions might look easy but there
might be a catch . So , check several times to ensure you get the correct answers .

[GuoSheng]

EST...ermm...nothing much for objectives and graphic but the ESSAY!! is the main killer for the whole exam.

First of all, I would suggest you to finish your graphic part in 15 minutes since very often you need a lot of time to do elaborations for you essay.

I would say EST is quite challenging in a sense that it has an extremely wide scope for its essay. Nevertheless, the essay is derived from our physics, chemistry and biology syllabus.

So, if you are observant enough, you can see the usual trend would be from biology-namely general topics about food technology, pollution, and natural cycles. However, in 2007, we frigging got synthetic fibre. It is the last chapter of our form 4 chemistry, those parts about polymer.

Hence, I would suggest you guys to read up all the general topics from your physics, chemistry and biology. Forget about reader's digest, a waste of time. Anyhow, i personally think you should pay more attention on biology and chemistry.

General topics include: (in your syllabus)
Food tech, genetics engineering, cloning, pollution, natural cycles, recycling, extinction, manufacturing industry etc

Important stuffs:
1. Use all the points (if you don't, goodbye)
2. Elaborate each point
3. Additional points (crucial for a high band)
4. Simple and concise to avoid grammatical errors.
5. Scientific terms (corrosive, acidic, photosynthesis, physical, mass etc)
6. Answer the question!!!

Let me explain what is meant by additional point.

Let say, you are given advantages and disadvantages of recycling:
You additional points could be, definition of recycling, materials that can be recycled, societies promoting recycling.

And as for answering the question:
Let say the question asks you to write about causes of pollution, effects of pollution and add any other relevant information*.

However, sometimes, it may only give you points for causes of pollution. Then use all of them. But remember to write your own points regarding effects of pollution. The 'effects of pollution' is important because it is part of the question even though not given. And it can be considered as additional points.

lol..too many things about est. You get me?

[Miracle_seed]

Since there are some nice comments about EST given in previous, I think I will only talk about BC.

To stand a high chance to score an A1 for BC, first you must score in objective and comprehension, especially 名句精华 and 语法, these are the parts in which you can actually study and score. The passages are sometimes quite tricky, but you must work hard to understand the 古文, or else you'll be in trouble.

Then, it comes to the essay part. I strongly recommend those whose language is not wonderful, to write factual or argumentative essays. It's relatively easier to score compared to descriptive and narrative essays. With some mature points and fluent writing, you'll be able to score. To improve on this, try to read more articles in newspapers, especially comments, ideas and opinions which come under particular pages in newspapers. Try to grab some professional words, and journalist-style writing, and some nice phrases applicable in many topics. There's an advantage writing this type of essay, where examiners are looking for great points, mature ideas and fluent language, rather than bombastic and flowery language in stories. Normally there will be at least 2 factual-type essays in every paper.

If you can write touching stories or nice descriptive essays, then go for it. If you're not good at all, it's hard for you to reach the standard which the examiners regarded as A1, in merely one-year time. Perhaps you can still do this if you have some basics in writing these essays, plus some hardwork reading great novels and stories by famous author. Normally, examiners mark strictly on this type of essay, normally looking for touching essays, which makes it easy to score average marks, but hard to score excellent grades.

Another type would be news, in which you'll also have to read newspapers to write well. If you know the format, ways of writing it, usage of specific language and words, then it's very easy to score, when the topic is familiar to you. I've a friend, whose chinese is not very brilliant, scored A1 for BC, because he wrote a news he's familiar with...

Anyway, in conclusion, you should read more to write good essays, be it essay books (some essay books in the market are lame) or newspaper. I do believe that newspaper is a great source in your preparation for essays. I suggest that you focus on one particualr type of essay, with another type to backup, in case you're not familiar with the topics came out for your "primary type" essay. You do still have 7 months before your exam...

For GCE'O', good grammar is very important, plus some vocabs and nice phrases will secure you an A, if not A1.

[Jieweitan]

For GCE, according to my teacher, the only thing that they grade is your main essay. This is the core reason why several students failed to score 1A in GCE despite scoring a 1A in their English exam.

I feel, when it comes to choosing questions, you should almost always pick a narrative essay. Narrative essays are arguably the easiest to write. I used to be a fan of factual essays until I realised that my friends are scoring higher than me in their essays in our exams. It seems that teachers have different expectations for each types of essays. Teachers seem to expect every factual essay to be well rounded and not just one-sided (unlike our BM "karangan"). Meanwhile, for descriptive essays, they expect a colourful description filled with descriptive words which we definitely cannot write unless if our English is top-notched. One-word titles on the other hand are easy to get out of point if you get too carried away.

The expectations for a narrative essay is generally lower than the other genres. All they expect from you is simplicity. All you have to do is to write out a decent plot, completed with an interesting climax. Use simple language together with some often used interesting phrases you can find in storybooks. Do not spam bombastic words as you might not be using them in a correct manner (if you don't know what you are doing). Some of my friends enjoy doing that and I find their essays unreadable. Don't add corny elements for example, ending your essay by stating that your entire story was just a dream. You will put off the examiner. Minimise your grammar mistakes. Try not to put too many action scenarios and dialogues in your story if you are not good in it.

Moral of the story: read more if you want to score well for your English. There is no shortcut in learning a language.

In my opinion, EST has got to be one of the most retarded exams in our SPM. It is one of the train wreckers (the other being the infamous Moral Studies), successfully wrecking many top scorer's 1A streak (evidently among my friends) by replacing it with a 2A. Scoring 1A in EST and Moral require strict understanding of the scheme and not to forget luck.

For the objective paper, make sure you read the passage carefully. Underline all the point for easy checking. The MCQ questions might be easy, but the answers are sometimes very close to each other. If you are careless, you might lose several marks in this section, which you shouldn't as the total marks of EST is merely 80 marks (if I am not mistaken).

For the information transfer section, make sure you refer to the examples in the table, diagram, etc. If it is in noun form (phrase starts with a noun), all your answers have to be in noun form. The same is true for verb form. NEVER answer in a sentence. If you have more than 1 answer, select only one of them.

For essay, the key thing you must do is to USE UP ALL YOUR POINTS. If you are suppose to compare, you have to use up all the points of the other choices too. For comparison types, elaborate your points with the PECA format, where:

P = Point
E = Elaboration on the point
C = Comparison with the other points
A = Analysis (elaborate on your comparison)

For non-comparison essays, you have to elaborate a lot on your points given. I usually elaborate in about 3-4 sentences. Try to use everything you've learnt from your science subjects. For example, last year's question was on synthetic fibre, I used whatever that I have learnt from the polymer chapter and the carbon compound chapter in Chemistry. Give it all you've got! Spam sequence connectors (E.g: Besides that, in addition to that, moreover, furthermore, simultaneously, etc). Use simple language and not bombastic language. Scientific terms are very well loved.

Good luck in your EST! You will need it.

[dya_me]

4 EST, u need 2 hav more general knowledge on science....use appropriate terms will greatly influence ur marks(such as, click n press r different)...pay attention on essay...ellaboration is da main point 2 get higher marks...give 1 ellaboration 4 each point dat they give u...straight to da point n dont write out of topic...sometimes, be careful with grammar...plural n singular r just simple but diz mistake is always done by da students...

[prince_J]

Erm, my school did exceptionally well in EST because my teacher always reminds us that

EST is supposed to be a "science" paper instead of an English paper. So, for your essay part, make sure you do not try to impress by showing your great command of english. Just construct simple and easy sentences!

Or rather, just like how you answer biology and chemistry essays question.

Two of my seniors who shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award ended up getting B3 for EST because they try so hard to show their great composition skills!

Hope it helps!

[p0laris]

for bc,try ur best in the grammer n idiom parts.Make sure you can get all correct in these parts.
for est,i`m facing the same problem too.You need a wide scientific knowledge.Although you can always score a1 during exam but not necessary for spm.Some of my seniors who scored a1 for GCE yet they just got B3 or B4 for est.My est teacher encourages us to read NST.He says it is very useful in order to obtain good result for est.

[extell]

I think the tips given by fellow recommers are really good and concise *thumbs up*.

Additional:
For GCE-O, use powerful vocab and flawless grammar. If you have both already, try imaginative essays like story-writing. It would be easier to earn marks if your storyline is creative^^

If you don't like creative writing, choose factual essays that are not too boring. Make sure you know what to write and don't jumble up points. Let the facts flow beautifully in a neat manner so that the examiners get what you're trying to elaborate.

[Ca3ine]

my advice is simple.knock the socks of your marker...how?Before you start anything quote someone or something.Before the paper,just read newspaper and vomit out everything.....as for EST,,,,,,write like a scientist and use as many science terms as possible....give good examples and read widely.....

[yummyummylicious]

well, my advice on EST is try to be careful on the objective session and on the essay part, try not to use flowerish language or too many bombastic term provided its scientific terms...and use all the points given, elaborate on the points, add your own idea and give reasonable examples as well...

for BC, well i guess what is most important is one has a good teacher,.lol..and of course a good, kind and linear examiner...lol...:P
i cant give too much info, i just scored an A2, so seek for those who score A1 for more info...

[passer-by]

For BC,
1) The idiomatic expression is the easiest part of all, so make sure you score all of them.

2) Do some past-year paper, try to discuss them with your teacher.

3) It is very important to master the grammar ( 实词, 虚词, 短语类型 , 修辞, 复句 ....), that's because almost half of the questions of the comprehension will be asking about these.
4)When answering Paper 2, try to answer the idioms part and the gammar part first. After you are done with them, then only go back to the comprehension part. ( I personally find this extremely useful!)

5) Read the questions of comprehension first before reading the text, it'll be easier for you to look out the points in the text this way. ( You already can answer some of them if you master the gammar part even though you haven't read the text)

6)When translating the ancient chinese script (文言文), translate it word by word and at the same time making it into a relevant sentence. (You never know which word they are looking for, so , to be safe, translate every word in the sentence)

7)When answering comprehension, (in my opinion) it's better to use the 'elemination method', consider all the 4 options in a question, cross out the unrelevant choices, then choose the best answer that SUITs the question.

8 ) Familiarize yourself with the format of formal letter, notice...etc so that you can score well in the essay part 1 in Paper 1.

These are some advices that my teachers told me in helping me getting an a1 for BC, hope that it helps.

[runninghorse]

[i mean chinese language subject]
last time the part that i afaid the most is the essay which carries 70%... because i cant write in 'beautiful' language... that means i cant use very good expression in writting...

my teacher told me if you can write very well in the essay part, meaning a lot of good expression and idioms, then you are halfway to get that A1...

the most important point that i conclude from my chinese learning experience is that--be sincere in learning...

actually i dont have much confident to score A1 in chinese subject at first... but i never gave up and read a lot of sample essays and the opinion corner in newspapaer helps a lot too....

in the end, i manage to score A1 in chinese.... so happy!!

P/S: if you are to be given a chance to take part in any chinese-related competition like debate and quiz etc., go ahead!! Believe me, it helps.

[Chrisntine]

hardworkin is the most important but we need lucky as well. my chinese was not gud bt i able to score A2. lucky me.

for me, before go for exam, pray more. it do help . really. i am not lying. beside praying, we mst stdy also cz God will not help lazy ppl . lol

[chenjun1128]

for EST, the objective questions are easy and there r only like, 30 of them, so dunt worry about that..for filling in the blanks, use simplified phrases, or even words from the original text..just make sure ur answer should not be exactly same as original text..for essay, u MUST include all the points given no matter what..if u don't, u automatically fall into the 20-23 mark category( or sumthing)..U must also add as many points of ur own as possible..otherwise, u will still fall into low mark category..needlees to say, don't screw up ur format of reports, letters..etc..

BC is so different and far more difficult than BM..in BM, u usually choose the fakta, think of 4 isi penting, huraikan, throw in a few frasa indah, and viola! u get A1..
Factual essays in BC are difficult to score because u must have not only many, but good points( unlike BM where the isi always stems from keluarga, sekolah, and kerajaan )..then, the way u write must also be interesting, despite the fact that its a factual esay..
desciptive essays are usually easier to write and score..but because of that, the examiner probably has read far more interesting stories before..so the competition is stiff..so, u should write what ur more interested and familiar with..if u usually choose factual essay and u enjoy writing it, then choose factual essay in SPM..same goes for desciptive essays..
for BC there are 2 things that u can practice until very good, and thats the old style language comprehension( gu wen )..and shortening a passage
lastly, u MUST memorise idioms( ming ju jing hwa )..the origin( chu chu) author( zuo zhe ) and of course the meaning( han yi )..thats pretty hard work for just 8 questions

[sherenesheep]

for est essay, get to the point.. don beat around the bush.. don write bunga-bunga...
u need think very scientifically for the essay..

[Glassylicious]

Having absolutely no experience learning or taking Bahasa Cina, I'm unable to offer much helpful advice, however, I do have some EST tips, given to me by my former EST teacher who had access to the marking schemes. I got an A1 by the way. Be prepared for some shocking revelations! Hehe.

1. DO NOT write out of the box. You know those flow-chart/diagram questions where you have to fill in information from a given passage? Your answer MUST BE ENTIRELY in the box, or else no marks will be given even if your answer is CORRECT. It sounds extremely unfair, I know but it's true. One year's marking scheme specifically stated this rule, and anyone who went out of the box was axe'd. Not many people actually know about this, so I hope this will help.

2. Look at the size of the box/space given. If it's small, you're usually expected to write an answer that is only one or two words long. If it's a slightly longer line, you're probably expected to copy out a phrase of say, 3-5 words long.

3. All your information must be cloned from the passage. Don't use your own words. Copy out the relevant words, and if it's a phrase you're supposed to copy out, copy the EXACT phrase. Don't omit any minor words like "in" and "the" if they are part of the phrase.

4. Try to aim for full marks in the objective section. There are very few questions [only 30 if I remember correctly], and this inadvertently makes the weightage of each question higher. So if you get a question wrong, it means a bigger percentage of marks will be deducted off your total.

5. For the essay-writing part, yeah, scientific terms are required, HOWEVER, I noticed that most of the topics asked [well, from the papers which I've done in the past] were all related in some way or another to stuff which we've already learned in Bio, Chem or Physics. So while it probably won't do you any harm to do "tons of extra reading of newspapers, magazines, scientific journals, etc", I don't really think it'll give you THAT much of a bonus anyway. I always recalled pulling out terms from the syllabus of Science subjects for my essays.

So, yeah, as you can see, EST isn't so much about what you know, it's really about how you answer the paper.

----------------

Added bonus if anyone cares. XD Since someone mentioned GCE-O [1119], I thought I'd be nice and share a general essay-writing tip as well. ^_^

This applies to both Directed Writing and Continuous Writing. It's a tip which I've always used whenever I needed to write essays, and it has paid off well.

If you're asked to write an informal letter inviting your friend to spend the holidays with you, DON'T JUST WRITE an informal letter asking your friend to come to your house. XD Write a letter that makes ANYONE who reads it, WANT to go to your house.

If you're writing a story that is supposed to be sad [Perhaps the question asks you to write a story that ends with "...there was nothing I could do. It was too late."], then aim to write a story that makes the reader depressed for the next few days.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that you need to try to emotionally connect with your reader [in this case, your examiner]. Trust me, it improves the quality of your essay in the long run. Of course, only worry about your style of writing after you are sure your grammar and tenses are all good enough.

All the best!

[WinnieH]

for est : go straight to the point. don't be long winded. try to write in a factual way. avoid writing in flowery method like the one you used for story writing. i actually love to choose story writing in the exams and had a tough time trying to write in a factual way seriously. but you can do it with a lot of practice and a lot of reading. read newspapers, read contoh karangan, read basically any articles that's written in a factual way and you'll get the vibe.

as for bc, i cant give any suggestions 'cause i didn't take up bc.

[ah_seng]

IT's no doubt that EST and Chinese are hard to score an A1 if you are not careful

Let us study the marking scheme for EST first:http://a65.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/1/l_5be5183e46fecc28b2874c0b2505a540.jpghttp://a138.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/37/l_f4db85fbe47cc6b13e4cd1944e3fefa1.jpg
As you can see, people will be easily marked down just because of small errors like grammar, upper/lower capital letter. Most students tend to take these for granted as they think EST is very easy, especially in Paper 2 section A&B( the information transfer part). They concentrate more on the essay part.

Yes, the essay part is also important but not as scary as you think. Just use Short,compact sentences,suitable scientific terminology and less bombastic word(cos' this is not English), elaborate the point with BRIEFLY, that will do.

As for PAper 1, you MUST score at least 25/30.

**********************************
For Chinese, you must try to score as much as possible in Paper 1.The formal letter section, my best advice is memorize the format for 通 告& 公 函. Then, be extremely careful for 别 字in writing formal letter and essay. Only those with one or two 别 字 throughout the whole paper deserve A1(if they have no other serious errors).

Chinese essay...u need to read a lot of model essays and practice writing to get use to it.Be carefulwhen reading the question,highlight the keywordso you won't terpesong.There are two kinds of major error: 不 切 题(max 50%)& 离 题(max 25% or even 0% if you the marker of your paper is cruel) out of total 70%. Plan your essay before start writing. Don't use bombastic word if u not sure.

Paper 2, u need to pray hard for easy question. The only thing you can prepare is 名 句and grammar only. However, for 白 话and 文 言 理 解, i advise u to read the question firstthen read the text.

GOOD LUCK
_____________________________________
http://www.myspace.com/chu_seng

http://liauchuseng.spaces.live.com/?_c11_BlogPart_pagedir=Next&_c11_BlogPart_handle=cns!58C95211CEE52516!125&_c11_BlogPart_BlogPart=blogview&_c=BlogPartFor more exam info

[honeydew]

lots of information bout any subject of public examinations can be obtained through malaysia student blog, www.malaysia-students.com. i benefited a lot from there last yr. hee.. let me share wat i know.. bt a bit forgot bout spm things liao, haa.. for est information transfer, my teacher said the ans should be as short as possible (without making the meaning too general), if ans is too long, it's quite possible tat it is wrong, except the passage there is also very long eg definition etc. do not copy whole sentence from passage, omit unnecessary words.


cannot repeat the word of the upper box?
Eg: The upper box is the word " Type of lens ",
then the ans muz be " converging'? If i write " Converging len", the ans is wrong?

If the question is " Type of Vitamin',
the ans should be "Vitamin C" or " c" only?
( quite strange when write C only...) :roll:

yes, my teacher said so too. although it's strange, according to tat rule, shud be like tat.
be careful with capital/small letters. if it's continuation of a sentence, then shud b small letter. otherwise, probably capital letter. after : shud b small letter.
for essay, u must include all points and elaborate each of the point. besides, u haf to add another extra point and elaborate it. failing to do anyone of this, the highest mark u can get for ur essay is 18/30. same thing happens if ur elaboration is wrong or if it is a repetition. strict rite? for elaboration, always answer why and how. if cant, giving example is good enough. use scientific terms like photosynthesis, carbon dioxide etc. for comparison question (tis yr might be, bcoz comparison and non-comparison come out in alternate yrs), u have to state ur choice, explain the points given for tat option, move to the next paragraph to write about the other option, move to the next paragraph to write the 3rd option, finally give ur own reasons (tis is considered extra point) y u choose ur option instead of the other two. tat is considered comparison ored, my teacher said do not compare point by point. u can oso write the 3 options first and then state ur choice followed by reasons(bt examiners normally would like to know ur choice first). for non-comparison essays, write brief introduction, write all points, elaborate, and then add another point, elaborate, conclusion.

for GCE o level, if u wan to know, there's a shortcut, memorise a super good story(gt it from a tuition teacher) n link it to the exam que. i did it n got A1. tat tuition teacher suggested tat actually. stories normally can fit, reli, bt it might not too, so i actually memorised two stories. however, two of my friends use this method bt they got B3, they suspected examiners knew they memorised. bsides, if another person wrote exactly the same essay as u, both of u r considered cheating n will get zero. so there is a risk. story line the same can stil b accepted bcoz students can haf the same teacher who gave them same story. b4 u memorise, modify the essay first so tat nobody will haf the same as urs. get an old story is safer too. haha, tis method is not so encouraged actually, is there anybody who wants to beat me? to write a good essay by urself, read good essays, learn more vocabulary will help.

for BC, when writing 议论文, u have to b careful by knowing wat exactly the ques wants u to write if the que only requires u 提出你的看法, so there is a risk compared to writing 说明文. i had some friends who wrote 议论文 getting A2 last yr bcoz their points r not too accurate i think. 说明文 is easier, the que will tell u wat to write n i think this type of que is more general (need to use common sense only, for sometimes), n u can fit in beautiful sentences that u memorise. i got A1 in bc, i wrote 说明文 in spm. i went for tuition last yr n it helped me a lot coz the teacher taught us a lot of bombastic phrases n statistics. yeah, include them in ur essay as much as u can. i think she obtained them from newsp. for 应用文, use those "standard words", the points r basically the same, n dun get the format wrong. Like the other subjects, follow wat the sch teacher said, do all homework seriously. read essays tat u haf wrote n model essays, memorise meaning of the 名句精华, meaning of certain words of 文言文, use dictionary often, do exercise in books n past yr papers.

[zane]

4 est 2 get an A1, my teacher who marks the paper said:

no LIFTING....lol....( i went thru de posts bt i haf nvr heard dem b4 eg:ans muz in de box etc........haisss)

essay part: scientific terms helps. n elaborate as much as u cn. dun beat around de bush.

thats all i tink....

[CCY_to_the_top]

wait a minute...im stillnot quite clear abt the capital letter things..
i mean,if i start to fill the blank with a normal word,lets say "vitamins"..isit "Vitamins" or "vitamins" ??
wad abt "to ensure a healthy..." or "To ensure a healthy..."

hope sm1 will reali help me in this..i really dont wanna lose marks in this kind of minor "stupid" error..

[zane]

wait a minute...im stillnot quite clear abt the capital letter things..
i mean,if i start to fill the blank with a normal word,lets say "vitamins"..isit "Vitamins" or "vitamins" ??
wad abt "to ensure a healthy..." or "To ensure a healthy..."

hope sm1 will reali help me in this..i really dont wanna lose marks in this kind of minor "stupid" error..

i tink de best way is 2 follow wat dey write.if they write in capital letter, den jz follow,or vice versa. but my teacher did not mention dis at all..

[smy]

Does anyone knows what is the minimum marks to get A1 for SPM EST?

[BattleBoyz]

Does anyone knows what is the minimum marks to get A1 for SPM EST?

Until now, nobody can be sure about the minimum marks to get A1 for any spm subjects including est except the government and maybe the markers. For my school, 80-100 will be A1. However, I think A1 (or A/A+ now) will be around 75 to 100.

[Judith]

Here's what my teacher told me after going to course.The markers for EST paper are ordinary english teacher.For essay, they will go through every single sentence and check for grammar mistakes.You should give lots of scientific informations and additional information to get high score.Wrong spelling is ok, if the misspelt word doesn't have other meaning.

[Thivyaa]

Hi everyone...im a newbie here and i just wanna share some of the tips that my teacher gave me.... she is not marking est but she know well some of the est examiners and this is what they told her.... for the essay part it is all about your additional points.... give as many additional point as possible... i heard that a candidate with a flawless english and about 20 additional points managed to get a 25/30 for her essay....and u also should write scientific terms...just like a business article which should hv appropriate terms like fluctuate and so on... so, the essay must be scientific... i dunno whether they cut marks for language....some teachers say yes and some say no...now whoever wants to get a straight A+ must get 90 and above in all the subjects... my school got the circular already..... and can anyone explain to me about the information trasfer part... i really dun understand when to write capital letter and when to write small letter...i am still quite blur.....one more..any of u know about the A mark for add maths and physics in spm.. i heard its about 50 or 60 only...is it true? if anyone got any ramalan for this year est essay , please share with me...